1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a breathable composite fabric material used generally in forming apparel.
2. Background Information
The term fabric, as used herein, refers to any material made through weaving, knitting, crocheting, or bonding (such as non-woven material). The words textile and cloth are used in textile assembly trades (such as tailoring and dressmaking) as synonyms for fabric. However some would provide that there are subtle differences in these terms. Some definitions of the term textile refer to any material made of interlacing fibers, while the term fabric has been defined as referring to any material made through weaving, knitting, crocheting, or bonding, and cloth has been defined as referencing a finished piece of fabric. The terms textile, cloth, fabric are used interchangeably herein. The term apparel in this application refers to clothing. Clothing, in general, is worn for safety, comfort, and modesty and to reflect religious, cultural and social meaning.
As further background for the present application, non-woven is the term used in the textile manufacturing industry to denote fabrics, such as felt, which are neither woven nor knitted. Non-woven materials are typically manufactured by putting small fibers together in the form of a sheet or web, and then binding them either mechanically, with an adhesive, or thermally such as by applying binder that may be in the form of powder, paste, or polymer melt and melting the binder onto the web by increasing temperature.
Non-woven materials are often produced from man-made fibers. Two synthetic polymers dominate the market: polypropylene (PP) and polyesters (mainly PET). Nonwovens are often application-designated as either durable or disposable. For example, nonwovens used as house-wraps to prevent water infiltration are generally considered as durable nonwovens. Nonwovens used as facings on baby diapers are generally considered as disposable or single-use nonwovens. Horticultural applications include both frost and insect protection applications.
Textile manufacturing is one of the oldest human industries. It has been suggested that the oldest known textiles date back to about 5000 B.C. The industrialization of the textile industries is often referenced as a leading or driving force in the industrial revolution. The advancement of textile manufacturing is spurred by new fabrics or fabric composites that improve the final product and/or the manufacturing process.
In regards to improvements to textile fabrics, it has been noted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,564, which is incorporated herein by reference, that apparel possessing buoyancy, cold-resistant and waterproof properties are highly desirable in a multitude of situations. Military personnel equipped with uniforms and jackets having all of these properties would find them advantageous in a number of situations. For example, a soldier's maneuverability in rough terrain under adverse conditions would be greatly enhanced by apparel which was both cold-resistant to protect the wearer from the elements and simultaneously facilitated crossing a river or fording a stream due to its buoyant and waterproof properties. Mountain climbers and hikers would find such garments similarly advantageous, where crossing a river, dealing with a flood, or resisting the cold are all potential encounters. To achieve their greatest utility, such garments must not only possess these various properties, but they must also be comfortable and not bulky or cumbersome.
It has been noted that water sports enthusiasts would also find such garments of particular advantage. Indeed, for many activities, garments possessing buoyant, cold-resistant and waterproof properties would be ideal and find great utility.
It is known to provide various garments with foamed materials for thermal insulation. U.S. Pat. No. 2,976,539, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a thermally-insulated garment having an expanded, closed-cell cellular material as a lining, preferably polyvinyl chloride. The garment is thick and cumbersome and does not possess sufficient buoyancy to support a person's weight in water.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,511,743, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a thermal insulation laminate for space and diving suits whose core is an open or closed-cell sponge or foam. A fluid impermeable rubber or plastic skin is necessary. The laminate gives moderate mobility, but is still fairly cumbersome and does not have sufficient buoyancy to serve as a life-saving device.
Polyethylene foams have been suggested as insulation or fillers for life rafts and jackets. U.S. Pat. No. 3,067,147, which is incorporated herein by reference, suggests a low density polyethylene foam for such a purpose which is processed with 1,2-dichlorotetrafluoroethene as a foaming or blowing agent. The polyethylene and blowing agent are heated under pressure and explosively extruded into the atmosphere to form an expanded cellular mass. The product is bulky and cumbersome when used in practice.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,819,543, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses molded chlorinated, cross-linked polyethylene foam for use in producing floats and linings for clothing. Various known blowing and cross-linking agents are suggested for use by this reference. The molded products are thick and cumbersome.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,746,564 and 4,952,352, which are incorporated herein by reference, attempted to address these deficiencies and described a thin, lightweight material for use as a liner for garment and outdoor equipment which possesses a combination of superior buoyancy, cold-resistant and water-resistant properties, without hampering the mobility of the wearer. However, the superior properties exhibited with the fabric disclosed in these patents could not be fully utilized as these fabrics required special handling and skill in the apparel manufacturing, which greatly limited their introduction into, and adoption by, the textile industry at large. A further drawback with these solutions was essentially a complete lack of moisture vapor transmission or permeability (also generally referred to as “breathability”).
It is an object of the present invention to address the deficiencies of the prior art discussed above and to provide an efficient breathable composite fabric material used generally in forming apparel that can be produced in a cost effective manner and can be easily utilized in the textile industry.